Blur

Following Tom Waits, my next choice came a little out of the ether, considering I had some of their CDs gathering dust somewhere, but had not had a single tune on my hard-drive. I was thinking of artists, like Tom, who's body of work deserves attention, and Blur, with seven studio albums and a greatest hits collection with hardly a bad tune in existence, fitted the bill.

Albarn, Coxon, James and... the other one... are a band whose music I miss when I haven't heard it in a while - they just did pop-songs so well! And the later, darker stuff on 13 and Think Tank is just superb. Now no longer officially in existence, but reportedly amicable at least, Blur were The best band of the 90s (sorry Oasis, but it's true), and carried it over into the new millennium where other bands faltered and faded. Coxon is good, I like his solo stuff, but, surely, the key to this success had to be Albarn, whose work with both The Gorillaz and The Good The Bad and The Queen proves his songwriting and status as a serious musician are almost second to none. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the guy.

It is so difficult to pinpoint a favourite song or a favourite album. I think you have to go a long way to find a better opening duo back to back than Beetlebum and Song 2, from the eponymous album Blur, and I found myself singing Tracy Jacks (a glaring omission both as a single and from the Greatest Hits album) all day last Wednesday... There are so many. A lot of songs that suit the sun and a lot that invite the rain - perfect! I would love to think another album would be forthcoming one day, but it is getting harder to see that happening. Regardless, they will always have a place in my heart.

Tom Waits

Have you ever accidentally deleted every file on your hard-drive? Well I have and let me tell you, once the nausea subsides, it is a complete pain in the ass! Especially if you haven't taken any measures to back up irreplaceable stuff. Fortunately, I had taken such measure for my writing and personal files, but I did lose every piece of media - movies, music and pictures that I "owned"!

As far as the music collection goes it means you have to go through an arduous process of re-ripping all the CDs you own, recovering licenses for all the legitimate downloads and hunting again for all the "not-so-legal" downloads (come on, we may as well all confess...). It does, however, have an interesting side-effect, in that you are forced to re-asses your musical priorities and tastes - as in you first go to replace the stuff that you just cannot live without. And, for me, I was interested to find that I went straight for the Tom Waits discography I had "acquired" a few months back and listened to a fair amount, but not exhaustively. Is my sub-conscious telling me Tom Waits is my new favourite artist?

It's a big possibility. It requires a certain mood, usually, but for variation and consistent genius the guy is almost in a league of his own. OK, not too many happy songs - we are in the land of bums and booze and divorce and tragedy - but he does it all so well, he just is the everyman down on his luck, and I love it! It is real music, with real instruments and a feel for the old; a sentimentality and soulfulness that is a real treat. It affirms the loneliness and desperation in us all and makes it somehow OK.

The recent release of Orphans: Bawlers, Brawlers and Bastards, is universally considered one of his best ever works - which at the age of 58 is testament to the longevity of one of the most respected figures in the business. I guess your average Joe or Johanna could not name a single tune he rasps, but he is an album artist not a pop-star - his work has meaning and a purpose, is considered and erudite in a working class way. It is grimy and soiled and guilty and forlorn and altogether brilliant from top to bottom!

Recent news that he will play the UK for the first time in 20 years is very exciting! Whether I will manage the £95 price tag is debatable. A once in a lifetime gig, for sure, but I don't know about that - just how good can one set be? Well, knowing the man, it will be unforgettable and worth every dirty dime!

Peep Show

This wasn't a show that I ever turned on specifically, or looked forward to even, but if it was on, and it always seemed to be, I would give it a watch and feel slightly amused, perhaps even entertained... just enough to keep coming back.

Now I think the problem wasn't with the show, but with my waning love affair with the TV medium. The endless choice and endless dross at the start of the digital TV revolution really wore me down - I just watched for watching's sake and hated myself for it! Then came the epiphany that is 4od (channel 4 on demand), available free through my laptop, with a great archive to choose from. This means that, much like popping in a DVD, you can watch one or a series of episodes without ad breaks or having to wait for a certain time to watch what you want. And yes I know this has been available for a while through Virgin media subscriptions, but it just makes it so much better to not need a box or a TV or to have to pay! At all!

So, looking back at Peep Show from series one, episode one, my view of it has gone up. It's a superb idea to be able to see the world through the eyes of the characters and hear their most sordid inner thoughts - and what makes Peep Show good is its consistency in this format and its relentless approach to no taboo honesty about what it means to be a single (or not) man in the new millennium. The juxtaposition of the polar opposites of office geek Mark and overgrown indie-boy Jez is just very funny. They are frightened little boys trying to play adults in the real world and failing at every turn. Pathos is a fine art and the writing here is often spot on, allowing for more knowing chuckles than out loud belly laughs, but all the better for it.

Now in its fifth season and seemingly getting better and better, this will be the definition of Mitchell and Webb's career's whether they like it or not. Having seen their less inspired sketch show I feel very confidant in saying that. They are excellent writers and very good character actors, but they need the characters. I see their future lying in writing for others and perhaps some serious acting. I can certainly see David Mitchell especially having potential for that. I will look forward to it.

Siddhartha

Published in 1922 and popular in the 60's as an important document in the Flower child generation's search for enlightenment, Siddhartha is a powerful book to this day. It was one of Henry Miller's very favourites and so , of course, I had to read it.

I'd read one other Hesse allegory previously, given to me as a gift several years ago, the short and incredibly sweet Journey Into The West. Similarly, Siddhartha is not a long or taxing novel in any way; the language drifts and flows, like a gentle stream - its simplicity a pure joy to behold! This is writing of the very highest caliber, stripped of unnecessary hyperbole and laborious exposition, filtered down into the most direct form of communication, and as such is one of the most accessible books you will ever read. I took my time with it (about a week), letting it seep in slowly, savouring the ideas, but it could easily be read in a day, even over a medium length train journey.

The idea of reaching an ultimate goal in life, especially the goal of enlightenment or Nirvana, is seen here as completely futile. Simply to be is enough. To experience life and learn through our mistakes and sufferings is a goal in itself and often the journey to realising this is long and arduous. The impossibility of achieving this realisation through short-cuts and by following teachings and texts is beautifully expressed. So often I found myself knowing that what I was reading was the truth, so resonant were the words with me. I cannot express why, only that the echoes of my own experiences and that of the traveller and adventurer Siddhartha are in some strange harmony - and recognising yourself in a work of art means it has done its job well!

I admit I am drawn to Eastern thinking and philosophy and so am bound to find this enticing. It is comforting to know this book has been written and translated and still read some 85 years after its time. And comforting that it was a German, repressed by the Nazis (proof that nationality is irrelevant to spirituality) who wrote it. I will be going back to its pages often, that is certain...

As an aside, I was interested to find that a 1971 film called Zachariah ("the first electric western") transposes the story of Siddhartha and Govinda to the wild west... with electric guitars! This I have to see.